"It will be decided by the 42-kilometre time trial": Elia Viviani points out a key checkpoint of this year's Giro

The 2026 Giro d'Italia will get underway sooner rather than later, and Elia Viviani can't wait to experience it from a completely new point of view. After 15 years as a professional, which included five Giro d'Italia stage wins, the Italian sprinter transitioned into a team car and will undertake the course in a role of sports director for INEOS Grenadiers. Naturally, he has already meticulously analyzed the 2026 parcours, so what are his thoughts about the race ahead?

"It will be decided by the 42-kilometre time trial, stage ten from Viareggio to Massa: the differences there could be large, sometimes as much as 2-3 minutes," Viviani opens up abruptly in an interview for La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The test against the clock appears to be a key point of the first half of the 2026 race, but at the same time he agrees that the general classification might've already begun to take shape at that point of the race. "There are many climbs - like Blockhaus (stage 7) and Corno alle Scale (stage 9) - before that time trial, but that test will be the deciding factor."

For the sprinters too, the former European champion sees plenty of opportunities, especially during Grande Partenza in Bulgaria. "Start strongly, maybe take the pink jersey on the opening stage, win in Milan or Rome. That doesn't happen often."

Even though Viviani enjoyed an extensive career and his retirement came around rather naturally with a sweet conclusion of a world title in team pursuit on track, the Italian rider still feels a strange tingling sensation in his legs when coming back to Giro d'Italia.

"For an Italian, the Giro is the race of the year. Even more than the Tour, because of what it represents. It is home, the streets where you grew up, the fans. I would always have chosen it."

However the Italian cycling in general is not living through its golden era. Surely, former track teammates of Viviani - Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna - are holding the tricolor above water with excellent time-trial and sprint performances, but in the mountains, Vincenzo Nibali's 2016 Giro d'Italia triumph is notably covered in dust by now.

"I am optimistic. I always see the glass as half full, as I have throughout my career - not backwards, because that serves no purpose," Viviani says positively. "We have excellent cyclists: Ganna and Milan are among the best in the world. The key to improvement lies at the grassroots level, in the youth categories."

But Viviani notices a positive trend among younger riders: "They have become extremely fragile in recent years. Nowadays the search is immediately for pure talent, but that brings the risk of missing those who develop later."

For now, the truth is hard for Italy. "We are in a global sport dominated by champions, and that is not easy. The truth is that with Pippo and Jonathan we have held our own very well. But we have competitive riders across different areas. Think of last year: Ciccone finished sixth at the world championships and Scaroni fourth at the Europeans."

And for the future, the country already has something very promising in the pipeline. The 22-year-old Giulio Pellizzari is suddenly a podium contender for upcoming Giro. "[Lorenzo] Finn is taking the right steps - he's not rushing anything, and his time will come. I repeat: we just need to be patient and work hard at the grassroots level, so that the champions of the future can develop," Vivani concludes.